The 7. Panzerdivision was raised 18 August 1956 from Mechanisierte Volkspolizeibereitschaft Dresden.

Elements of it was subordinated to the 20. Soviet Guards Army as the Prague Spring ended with the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and were moved to the border, but did not take part in the invasion.

Parts of this unit were, together with officers and cadets from schools in Dresden, Löbau, Kamenz and Bautzen, placed under the command of Generalleutnant Manfred Gehmert (head of Militärakademie Friedrich Engels) in October 1989 and used in support of the police during the large demonstrations in Dresden. The men were issued 30 bullets for machine pistols and six for pistols however new orders soon arrived from Armeegeneral Heinz Keßler, Minister für Nationale Verteidigung (Defence Minister), and the ammunition was returned and nightsticks distributed. The only confirmed use of the troops against the demonstrators was the freeing to two police vehicles surrounded by demonstrators.

Commanders

Oberst Werner Pilz (18 Aug 1956 - 31 Aug 1956)
Oberst Heinrich Brandes (1 Sep 1956 - 15 Aug 1958)
Oberst Franz Rös (1 Sep 1958 - 31 Oct 1960)
Oberst Joachim Goldbach (1 Nov 1960 - 31 July 1964)
Oberstleutnant Werner Winter (1 Aug 1964 - 8 Nov 1971)
Oberst Hans Sieg (9 Nov 1971 - 31 Oct 1976)
Oberst Walter Müller (1 Nov 1976 - 31 Oct 1979)
Oberst Günter Möckel (1 Nov 1979 - 30 June 1985)
Oberst Klaus Listermann (1 July 1985 - 30 Sep 1987)
Oberst Volker Bednara (1 Oct 1987 - 2 Oct 1990)

Headquarters

Dresden

Order of battle (1987)

Panzerregiment 14 Karol Swierczewski
Panzerregiment 15 Paul Hornick
Panzerregiment 16 Leo Jogiches
Mot.-Schützenregiment 7 Max Roscher
Artillerieregiment 7 Albert Hößler
Führungsbatterie Chef Raketen/Artillerie 7
Flak- Raketene Regiment 7 Paul Rockstroh
Führungsbatterie Chef Truppenluftabwehr 7
Raketenabteilung 7 Alfred Kurella
Geschosswerferabteilung 7 Ernst Schneller
Aufklärungsbatallion 7 Ludvik Svoboda
Pionierbatallion 7 Arthur Thiermann
Nachrichtenbatallion 7 Egon Dreger
Batallion Materielle Sicherstellung 7 Kurt Schlosser
Instandsetzungsbatallion 7 Gustav Schneider
Batallion Chemische Abwehr 7 Johann Eggert
Sanitätsbatallion 7
Ersatzregiment 7

Manpower Strength: 12,750 (wartime), 9,139 (peacetime), 9,159 (actual).
Actual Equipment Strength: 4 Luna M (FROG-7) transporter-erector rocket launchers, 30 T-72 tanks, 292 T-55 tanks, 150 BMP tracked infantry combat vehicles, 41 armored personnel carriers, 126 artillery pieces and multiple rocket launchers, 15 bridge-laying tanks.

Sources used

Klaus Froh & Rüdiger Wenzke - Die Generale und Admirale der NVA
Dale R. Herspring - Requiem for an Army: the demise of the East German military
Wilfried Kopenhagen - Die Landstreitkräfte der NVA

Reference material on this unit

- None known at this time -